OcUK Dadsnet thread

[Devrij]

I thought it would be nice to have a thread where expecting dads, new parents or really bloody old parents alike could ask questions and share experiences of parenting or ways to save cash etc, as well as just moan about being exhausted and skint.

Are you trying to work out whether you really need that nose mucous bulb thing? Are you over the moon that your daughter just gave you her first proper smile and you just want to tell everyone in the world about it? Has your son finally gotten big enough to worry about him punching you back This is the thread for you.

I currently have my little girl asleep next to me, and yes I'm in that evangelical new dad phase where you get to see how cute she is whether you wanted to or not. It's crazy how quickly they start growing!

 

[Devrij]

Damn, I had money on it being the "ha gay" GIF for the first reply.

And yeah, anything that gets a bottle ready faster is generally worth its weight in gold!

 

[Devrij]

*awaits Mumsnet raid in 10* Not a terrible idea actually. We had a few of these 'the worst I'm a dad look at me go' threads in the past.

Lol yeah. I thought maybe a "safe space" for us to just get it out of our systems would maybe be a good thing. I remember feeling clueless before my kid was born so again it's also about trying to convince expecting parents that they don't need a £2k cot. An old piece of plywood is just fine if you get the splinters out*



*it is not

 

[Devrij]

I'm new dad, got an adorable 4 month old.

Mines about the same. How you finding it?

 

[Devrij]

Stayed up late playing diablo with the lads. Riley doesn't care and she just wakes up at 6 on a Sunday morning. Thankfully back to sleep after a feed and a bit of a cuddle though. I do miss having a lie in on the weekend!

The pram is my best friend as if she goes into meltdown it's the one thing that keeps her quiet (up and down the street a million times) . I'll be working off the dad bod that I've been growing if she keeps it up as I'm sure I get a couple miles in when she kicks off.

 

[Devrij]

Why don't adults have anything made out of that crackling material. It's as satisfying as popping bubble wrap, but it is infinite

 

[Devrij]

I think this thread will need rules. Please, for the love of God, no acronyms.

I think that's a given.

Fair play Gilly, not sure how I'd cope solo, let alone with two kids to manage!

My daughter is at the stage where she really likes the sound of her own voice (read, she yells a lot) and when she gets the hiccups it's hilarious watching her trying to squeak away only to get interrupted by a hiccup.

 

[Devrij]

Going to be a dad for the first time in October, heading into the unknown but I really cannot wait to meet them and start this new chapter.

Probably have 90% of the stuff we need now, just a few bits left to get like a monitor and bottles etc.

Start getting the Nursery ready this month. I was using the room for my mancave so moving all my stuff out then it's carpet out, put some coving up, re paint the room, fix the small leak from the radiator and then get the new carpet down.

Once that's all done I can build the furniture we have waiting and then that's it, although the cot isn't allowed to go up until after baby has arrived. Aiming to have it all done by the end of August so we aren't rushing around in September. Going to be another busy month!

It's rad, you're going to love it. Good luck with all that work. We kept ours in her moses basket for the first couple of months (more convenient for those 3am feeds etc), but she's settled in the cot now. She did spend a few nights break dancing around her cot with all the extra space though which was fun. Might buy you some more time with your man cave!

 

[Devrij]

Thanks, think I'm going to need the luck although I do have a friend who will be helping me out so that will help a bunch.

We will be doing the same, our friends dropped off the basket yesterday as a gift to us so plan is to keep them in with us for the first few months (and see how it goes).

Are you starting to get your little girl into a evening/sleeping routine now then if she has moved into a cot?

We've been quite lucky tbh. She started sleeping through the night really early on. We had to wake her up in the middle of the night to feed her (midwife said we shouldn't leave her that long without a feed early on), but now she generally settles around 9 to 11 and sleeps right through to 6 or 7. She doesn't necessarily wake up and go through the roof either. We made a point of not watching TV in bed when we put her down so that dark and quiet = stfu and go to sleep time.

She's a very chilled out baby (says the guy whose daughter is still sleep crying next to him after throwing a random wobbly)

That said, I spoke to a woman the other day whose 10 month old still wakes up screaming 5 times a night!

So your mileage may vary.

 

[Devrij]

Suppose I should engage with this thread!
New expectant dad here, due date is 20th Nov and today was the beginning of final trimester!
Pregnancy has been fine thus far with the missus just complaining of chronic back pain. Has got rather bad recently so been going to the chiropractor.

We went shopping recently for baby stuff and it shocked me at how expensive some of the stuff is. Do you really need 3 different types of prams (carry cot, normal seat, car seat) and 2 different car seats etc. Seems a huge waste of money!

In short, no. Second hand is your friend when it comes to baby stuff.

This man has it right.

I have one pram, and our car seat clips into the pram (with some cheap plastic adapters), and also clips into the car of course. Baby stuff goes for next to nothing second hand, but costs a bomb new. Just get the stuff you'll need for the first few months, and by then you'll have a good feel for what you do and don't need. Moses basket, loads of nappies and wipes, loads of little sleep suits/vests (again, accept donations with open arms as your mates will be desperate to shift theirs), loads of muslin squares, and formula (even if you plan on breast feeding as it doesn't always get going straight away if you end up having an emergency c section for instance). Car seat, cot and pram are the big ticket items, and all three can be had cheaply if you don't buy new.

 

[Devrij]

These are sometimes refered to as a 'travel system' but iifc you're not supposed to put newborns in a carseat for more than an hour so not sure how it works for carseats in prams. Also we have 4 prams but hope to start getting rid of some of them next year, kids stuff takes up so much space.

Yeah they get quite toasty in the car seats. It's more for when we need to pop into town to pick up a few bits and bobs it just means we can lift her out of the car and back in again without waking her. If we are going out for the day we bring the pram top which has better sun/rain protection and is comfier. In the house the pram doubles as a big moses basket since she outgrew that a while back.

4 prams! It must be like a motor pool in your house!

 

[Devrij]

[Mumsnet mode activated] My wife recently gave birth to our 1st child. A daughter (Sofia) who's 10 weeks old. I honestly cannot believe how amazing it is being a parent and how much it's changed my life for the better. The worst thing is having to go to work in the morning and saying bye, but I have all day to looking forward to leaving work and getting home to both of them

Yeah ever day feels like a Friday when you get to go home to cuddles with your daughter. Mine has found a new favourite noise that is a bit like something out of the exorcist. Either that or she speaks parcel tongue.

Either way, she is super cute

 

[Devrij]

I have a little boy who is 4 1/2 and is my world. Sadly broke up with his mum and she and him will be moving away in the coming months and will be around 100 miles away so my chance to see him will be minimal when that happens and will be incredibly hard.

Don't know if anyone else has been in such a situation and might have some advice or not but I know I'm going to find it very difficult to cope with not seeing him everyday!


Oh and on the advice front:

1) Cold water steriliser
Everything in it is sterilised and ready to be used immediately (once it's been in there for 20 minutes), so keep bottles etc in there, no need to wait for anything to get hot or cool down, so feeds can be prepared in a matter of moments.

2) Bibs and cloths
As others have said, get loads of these and stick a couple in any bag or coat you might have with you, you will find you'll need them all the time!!

Sorry to hear about that. Hopefully things are civil and she'll work with you a bit to help you get time together. My brother Skypes his boys every evening when they are with their mother, but for him it's just about making the time count and trying to keep up to date with school and their daily lives with Skype chats (although they mostly like to make faces at themselves when skyping)

E: also the cold water thing sounds good. There is literally nothing worse than realising you haven't sterilised any of your bottles just as your baby wakes up and starts crying. That is a long wait.

 

[Devrij]

I was talking to a woman who makes these teething necklaces for mums which are basically soft rubber bits on a string that give them something to chew on. Also comes in bracelet form so you can just take it off and they have a bit of a gum at it. Might be worth looking into something like that.

 

[Devrij]

Is it wrong to meme your own child?

 

[Devrij]

Ah yes, and when a foot gets loose while you're changing them and they start kicking it all over themselves. That's awesome fun. My girl seems to think it is anyway.

 

[Devrij]

Just been for the 12 week scan for the first child we've ever had. Been married for 5 year and with my Wife for 17 year all in all. We had pretty much given up when it happened out the blue but I'm overjoyed with the news and cant wait to be a dad...finally!

Congrats mate, you'll be amazed how fast that 9 months goes.

 

[Devrij]

Just welcomed my son into the world last week. Spent the last week in near panic, is he breathing? is he eating? is he pooping? I'm just beginning to realise what hard work this is.

He spent the first few nights at home feeding every hour, but that seems to have settled a little for now. So tired, and not looking forward to returning to work.

Haha I still occasionally check to make sure my girl is still alive and have those panic moments, so that doesn't really pass that quickly. You'll soon settle into a routine though, and just ask the midwives as many questions as you can when they come for those visits. Those first weeks are pretty tiring, and occasionally I will sleep in our spare room while the missus handles the baby so I can turn up to work a bit fresher. She can nap during the day, I can't!

Expecting our first one at the end of November.

Got to say its pritty nerve wracking, never been around new borns.
Thankfully the missus has plenty pracice with nephews and I will soon pick it up.

Not really worried about fatherhood in general tho. Confident I will be better than most I see out there ha.

4d scans worth it? She wants it but not sure I do now.

Can't comment on the 4d scans, but the normal ones are pretty amazing. I had the same worries as I had never spent any time around babies and thought I would have no clue, but it's generally just a checklist of hungry, wet, tired, or wind if they are crying and you pick it up fairly quickly.

 

[Devrij]

It goes really fast man, so enjoy it as much as you can! Can't believe mine is coming up on 6 months. I swear it was yesterday we had her in her moses basket and she only took up half of it. Now she's a big squishy thing that can take her own weight on her legs (bugger all balance at this point but she can stay sat up and not fall over now).

Best part is that it just seems to get better as they interact with you more. Best part of my day is walking in the door and my daughter gives me the biggest grin like she's been waiting for me all day.

 

[Devrij]

We're debating when to put ours in her own room, as she is now 6 months (gonna be trying solid food soon). Our main concern is that she has started rolling onto her belly and hasn't yet got the strength to roll back over. So she just sticks her face down into the blanket.